Live Review: Blue Rising

July 15th, 2017. It’s that time of the year when Bloomington’s local Hard Rock/Metal band Blue Rising returns to the stage at the famous Bluebird Music Venue. They only perform once or twice a year, and this was a special occasion as they were celebrating the release of their Fool The Devil EP. Opening the show was a local funky jam band called The Trip, and I recommend everyone check them out if you are into that kind of music. I had the pleasure of attending the show and shooting the breeze with Blue Rising before they took to the stage. Here are my thoughts on their performance!

If you have never attended a Blue Rising show, then you are missing out! Period. It is universally known that they put on a great show amongst those who have seen them, and the main reason that is because they perform like it’s their final show. They have a stage presence that exciting to view, and they are always on point musically. Blue Rising benefits from the diversity of their set list by playing some of their hits such as “Bones,” “Metamorphosis,” “Holy Wars,” and “Ice Cold.” Original music is important to them, but they also see the fun in performing some cover songs from bands such as Coheed and Cambria, Black Sabbath, Metallica, and Tool. They have a pretty long set, and that’s perfectly fine because they do a great job at keeping their show interesting. Halfway through they have an intermission to have a breather and give their fans the chance to grab another beer and mingle. They finished their set, but soon came back out as the crowd demanded an encore! Ultimately, they are out to please…and rock socks off.

Musicianship is key to any great band, and it’s no secret that Blue Rising has tapped into it. I’ve seen Blue Rising a couple of times, and this time was no different in terms of their professionalism being at 100% Frontman/Guitarist Austin Frink has powerful vocals that are equally, if not better live than their studio recordings. Guitarist Austin Mudd had dialed in a tone that was able to cut through their live mix. Bassist Barrett Abraham is sort of reserved in his stage presence, but his ability to make his bass sing was definitely present. Drummer Luke Narey had a confident and exciting stage act, and he wasn’t afraid to impress his loyal fans!

Overall, my experience at the Bluebird was great, which is not surprising because they always remain consistent when it comes to their live performances. Their professionalism was on point, and their stage act was engaging and exciting. Their set was diverse by including old and new songs, and I felt that it went over well with the crowd. Once again, If you have not seen them live, then you need to change that because these guys do not disappoint! Well Done!

Blue Rising’s new EP Fool The Devil is available now on iTunes, Spotify, etc.

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